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Elishan Silmät (2007)

by Timothée de Fombelle(Favorite Author)

4.26 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Tammi

series

Tobie Lolness

review 1: The sequel and conclusion to Toby Alone, an "eco-adventure" about tiny beings who live in a giant tree that is being destroyed by the dimwitted but powerful Joe Mitch, is an excellent follow-up that wraps up nicely. There are a lot of parts to this book, which make it hard for me to explain the plot, but essentially it's a story of discovery, journey, and adventure, with a subtle environmental theme running throughout. While it's not a page-turner to me, the world that Timothee de Fombelle creates with rather complex characters (except for a few of the bad guys, who truly are just bad guys...although they often have a dark and unfortunate upbringing) is compelling and detailed.
review 2: This is the second of a pair of books about Toby Lolness, a millimeter and... more a half tall boy whose whole world is the tree on which he was born. The story follows Toby as the greedy and evil Joe Mitch threatens the tree on which they all live with his damaging environmental practices. Toby's family is also put in jeopardy when Toby's father makes the radical claim that the tree is alive and must be treated with gentle respect and refuses to give up the secrets of his scientific discoveries to further Joe Mitch's plans. The whole world of the tree turns against Toby's family and he is separated from his parents and forced to flee. While this book could probably be read independently, it will make the most sense in the context of book 1 (Toby Alone). Overall, Toby's world is cute, entertaining and well thought out. The little details about the lives of the characters such as that they make four from leaves and coats from bumblebee fur really make the book enjoyable. There is also a decent amount of clever humor. My biggest complaint is that the story is a bit didactic for my personal tastes and the reader almost feels beat over the head with the messages. Things also seem to wrap up almost too neatly. Everyone finds a girl or guy, recognizes and fixes their faults, and lives happily ever after in the end. That may not bother younger readers, but it was a bit much for me. Nonetheless, I think kids will really enjoy this story. It has adventure, a cleverly thought out fantasy world, and a bit of romance thrown in. It also has an ending that should satisfy those who were frustrated by book 1's cliffhanger. Toby and the Secrets of the Tree is a cute and satisfying read. less

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